TikTok has become one of the most popular social media platforms, with over 1 billion monthly active users. With so many people using TikTok, it’s important to understand what happens when you decide to delete your account.
This article will explain the process of deleting a TikTok account, whether the content is gone forever, if data is still stored on TikTok’s servers, shared with third parties, or accessible by law enforcement after deletion. We’ll also look at timeframes for permanent deletion, as well as the implications for users to consider before deleting their account.
Knowing the full details around TikTok account deletion is crucial given the massive userbase and the sensitive or personal data many share on the platform. This article aims to provide a comprehensive overview so users can make informed decisions about removing their presence on TikTok.
How Deletion Works
To delete a TikTok account, users need to go to their profile settings and select “Manage my account” then “Delete account”. TikTok will then ask users to confirm deletion by entering their password. Once confirmed, the account will no longer be accessible and all content posted to that account will no longer be publicly visible.
Deleting an account does not immediately erase all data associated with the account. The videos, messages, comments, likes, and other data will remain on TikTok’s servers until the account is permanently deleted from their systems. TikTok states this can take up to 30 days after requesting deletion. During this time, the account is deactivated but not fully deleted.
For the user, deleting an account means they will no longer be able to access the account or any of the content they posted. Their profile, videos, likes, followers, and messages will disappear from the platform. However, data may still exist on TikTok’s systems up to 30 days after deletion.
Content Remains on TikTok Servers
While deleting your TikTok account removes your content from public view, the videos, comments, messages, and other data associated with your account are not immediately erased from TikTok’s servers. According to TikTok’s privacy policy, they may retain this data for “as long as necessary for the purposes for which the data was collected, including to provide the services, ensure safety and security, comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements”[1]. This means TikTok continues hosting your deleted content on their servers indefinitely unless required by law to remove it.
TikTok states that after an account is deleted, “we take steps to ensure that certain account information is no longer retained with your user profile or content”[2]. However, according to TikTok’s privacy policy, aggregate or anonymized data from deleted accounts may be retained and used for analytics or research purposes.[1]
So in summary, your deleted TikTok videos, messages, comments, and other data stay on TikTok’s servers indefinitely until the company decides to permanently erase that information. The data is inaccessible to the public but remains stored by TikTok after account deletion.
Data Shared with Third Parties
Even after an account is deleted, data from that account may still be possessed by third parties that TikTok shared information with. As stated in TikTok’s privacy policy, the platform partners with third-party services like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Google to facilitate easy login and content sharing. TikTok also allows connecting with certain third-party apps to share content more easily.
Once TikTok shares data like user names, content, contacts, analytics, and other information with these services, the third parties maintain their own data retention policies. The data may remain within their systems even after deletion from TikTok. This makes it challenging for users to fully erase their digital footprint after deleting an account.
Possibility of Data Recovery
Although TikTok claims deleted accounts and their associated data are permanently erased after 30 days, there are some circumstances where recovering deleted content may be possible, at least for a time. According to Business Insider, it’s possible to recover your TikTok account within 30 days of deleting it by contacting TikTok support.
This indicates TikTok likely retains deleted data on its servers for at least 30 days after an account is deleted. During this window, TikTok may be able to recover deleted content if requested by the user. However, after 30 days, recovery becomes much less likely as deleted data is purged from TikTok’s servers.
While rare, there could also be scenarios where deleted data persists on backups or archives beyond the 30 day window. However, the likelihood of recovering permanently deleted content significantly diminishes over time. Users concerned about deleted content being recovered should request permanent data erasure from TikTok.
Law Enforcement Access
While deleted TikTok accounts are removed from public view, law enforcement agencies can still request user data from TikTok for investigations, even after an account has been deleted. According to TikTok’s Law Enforcement Guidelines, TikTok will comply with valid legal requests and court orders for user data. TikTok can provide user information, video content, messages, and other data to law enforcement with a subpoena, court order, or search warrant.
For deleted accounts, TikTok says they will preserve associated user data for 90 days after receiving a formal preservation request from law enforcement. This allows police time to obtain a subpoena or warrant to access the data. As reported by Forbes, law enforcement has successfully retrieved user data on deleted accounts from TikTok using search warrants.
So while an account may seem gone from TikTok after deletion, user data including videos, messages, and account details can still be obtained by law enforcement within a 90 day window. Users should be aware that deleting an account does not permanently erase their data right away in terms of law enforcement access.
Timeframes for Permanent Deletion
According to TikTok’s policy, when a user deletes their account, TikTok retains the data for 30 days in case the user wants to reactivate their account. After 30 days, the account is permanently deleted from TikTok’s servers 1. However, data may still exist in backups and with third parties even after the 30 days2.
TikTok does not provide details on how long data is retained in backups after account deletion. However, according to their privacy policy, they may retain some data for longer periods for legal compliance purposes. So traces of a deleted account may still exist in TikTok’s systems indefinitely.
In summary, a deleted TikTok account is permanently erased from the main production servers after 30 days. But data may persist in backups and with third parties after that point.
Implications for Users
TikTok’s data retention practices raise some concerns for user privacy. According to TikTok’s Privacy Policy, the company retains user data for “as long as it is necessary to provide you with the service.” This vague language gives TikTok significant leeway in holding onto user data indefinitely.
Even after an account is deleted, TikTok retains user data on its servers, as detailed in a report from Congress (TikTok: Recent Data Privacy and National Security Concerns). TikTok also shares data with third parties, who may retain it separately from TikTok. This means a user’s data may persist without their knowledge or consent after they try to remove it.
The extensive retention of TikTok user data poses risks to privacy. Sensitive user information remains accessible to TikTok and unknown third parties. This data could potentially be used to profile or track users without their ongoing permission. TikTok’s practices give users limited control over their data after they stop using the platform.
How to Permanently Delete Data
If you want to ensure your TikTok data is permanently erased, there are a few extra steps you can take beyond just deleting your account. Here are some tips:
Contact TikTok directly through their privacy portal and request permanent deletion of your data. Under GDPR rules, they are required to comply with this request. However, it may take some time to fully process. See their support article for details on how to submit this request.
Use a third party “forget me” service to submit deletion requests. Companies like Jumbo will submit verified GDPR deletion requests on your behalf to TikTok and other platforms. This can help speed up the process.
Adjust your TikTok privacy settings to limit data collection before deleting your account. Opt out of personalized ads, disable auto-sync of contacts, and restrict data usage in the app.
Delete the TikTok app from your devices and remove any linked social media accounts. This will limit data access.
Periodically search for and remove any lingering TikTok links, embeds or references associated with your account handle or username across the web.
Conclusion
In summary, while deleting a TikTok account does remove it from view on the platform, the data associated with the account may persist on TikTok’s servers for an extended period of time. TikTok also shares certain data with third parties, who may retain it separately from TikTok. There is a possibility law enforcement could request and access data from deleted accounts as part of an investigation.
For users concerned about controlling their data after deletion, the most prudent options are to remove videos individually before deleting your account, or submit a valid deletion request to TikTok. However, there are no guarantees the data will be immediately and permanently purged. Users should be mindful of what they share on TikTok if they want that information completely eliminated in the future.
